New leaders take officeCity and county officials elected during the 2014 general election took office Thursday. Mayor Randy Horton was scheduled to preside over his first meeting with the Russellville City Council on Thursday — a called meeting to organize council rules and regulations — after being sworn in at the Pope County Courthouse. Former mayor Bill Eaton was sworn in as an alderman for Ward 2, Position 1 — the seat vacated by Horton. Aldermen who were re-ele...

Senior center focuses on healthThe Pope County Senior Wellness and Activity Center will offer opportunities to learn about making healthy choices and other health-related issues in January. "We try and provide not only programs for your social well being but also for your physical well being," Sherry Tidwell, senior programs director, said. To that end, the center will partner with Arkansas Tech University's nursing department to offer a three-part seminar on living with di...

Torres returns the favor to RussellvilleA move to Russellville was the best decision Raul Torres said he ever made. It changed his life. Minister and president of Main Street Mission, Torres came to the Arkansas River Valley by chance and fell into the right hands. Torres lived in Guanajuato, Mexico, before moving to Oregon when he was 17. He lived in Portland, Ore., 14 years before he decided he needed to move his family and start a new life. Torres said he visited his in-laws in R...

A look back at 2014 in the Arkansas River ValleyEditor's note: From changes in the landscape and leadership to honoring veterans, The Courier staff compiled a list of the top stories in 2014 in the Arkansas River Valley. • After months of discussion and debate, the Russellville City Council unanimously approved a site on North Phoenix Avenue for the indoor aquatic center during a called meeting Aug. 26. The nearly 20 people in attendance stood and cheered after the council voted. • Randy Ho...

Detention center seeks new directorDANVILLE — The director of the juvenile detention center in Yell County is being replaced following media coverage of questionable practices at the lockup. As The Courier reported in July, the parents of a boy who was in custody at the detention center filed a civil rights lawsuit on June 27 against the city of Danville, Yell County and several officials because of an incident at the center that led to their son's arm being broken. The suit al...

A look back at 2014Editor's note: From changes in the landscape and leadership to tragedies, The Courier staff compiled a list of the top stories in 2014 in the Arkansas River Valley. • On Aug. 5, the Russellville City Council unanimously approved a contract with Tennessee-based Hunt Properties to construct a convention center and hotel complex that has been in the making since 2006. The project was put on hold due to an economic recession shortly after its ince...

Atkins man a top lottery winnerA Pope County man was among the top 10 winners this year in the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery (ASL), officials said Tuesday. James Osborn of Atkins won $1 million with a Platinum Payout scratch-off ticket he bought at the PDQ North gas station in Russellville on April 14. The store received a $10,000 retailer bonus for selling the winning ticket. Osborn reportedly told lottery officials he planned to add the winnings to his retirement fund. The...

Eoff honored for serving 20 yearsPOTTSVILLE — During his last meeting as an alderman on the Pottsville City Council meeting, Milton Eoff was honored for 20 years of service to the city of Pottsville. "Thank you so much for serving," Williams said. "It takes a lot of dedication to be an alderman." People in attendance including Fire Chief Brad Judkins, Police Chief Blake Herrin, Public Works Director Jason Howard, Pottsville Athletic Association President Jason Drew and others...

Holiday card winners announcedSaint Mary’s Regional Medical Center held its annual Christmas Card Contest featuring drawings from fourth graders at Crawford Elementary School. Students were asked to design a work of art representing “What Christmas Means To Me.” The first place winner received a $50 gift card and the artwork is used for the hospital’s annual Christmas Card and is featured in holiday ads in area newspapers. Douglas Reynolds, son of Matt and Alesha Cambell, ...

Pottsville approves budgetPOTTSVILLE — The Pottsville City Council approved the 2015 budget during its regular meeting Monday. The 2015 budget includes increasing the mayor's salary to $25,000, even though the salary bump has yet to be passed. As The Courier previously reported, an ordinance that would raise the salary by $5,000 in 2015 failed when aldermen Donnie Elliott, George Woolf and John Heflin voted in favor and Alderman Milton Eoff abstained. With only four co...

DuVall retires after more than 30 yearsPope County Sheriff Aaron DuVall will soon leave his position with the Pope County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) after serving the area for more than 30 years. DuVall has a few days left in the office he fell into by chance. A Hector native and graduate, DuVall said it wasn't his intention to become involved in law enforcement. "At one time I thought I wanted to be a teacher and a coach, but I'm glad I chose law enforcement," DuVall said. DuVall sai...

Pottsville tables mayor salary increasePOTTSVILLE — The Pottsville City Council once again tabled discussion of the mayor's salary increase during its regular meeting Monday. Aldermen Donnie Elliott, George Woolf and John Heflin voted in favor and Alderman Milton Eoff abstained. With only four councilmen present at the meeting, they would have had to all vote in favor for it to pass. The ordinance — which would raise the salary by $5,000 in 2015, bringing it to $25,000 — was tabled...

Public meetings set for Clean Line projectPublic hearings regarding the Plains & Eastern Clean Line Transmission project's Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be conducted in locations throughout Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Tennessee over four weeks starting next month. During the hearings, representatives from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will be on hand to "answer questions in an informal setting" for Open House the first 45 minutes of all public hearings, according t...

Judge refutes leniency claims, points to 73 percent conviction rateEditor's note: This article clarifies information printed in a previous edition that was derived from incomplete information provided to The Courier. District Judge Len Bradley addressed discussion that Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) officers were told by superiors not to work in Johnson County because the judge dismissed tickets. "Nonsense," Bradley said, pointing to a nearly 73 percent conviction rate of AGFC cases in his court ove...

Eaton presides over last meeting as mayor Russellville Mayor Bill Eaton and Aldermen Martin Irwin and Randy Horton were recognized during the last City Council meeting of 2014 on Thursday night at City Hall. And it was a special night for more than those occasions. Eaton, who served as alderman before being elected mayor in 2011, not only thanked the city’s employees and the community for their support the last four years, but pointed out he “married the most wonderful woman 48 years ...

Russellville aldermen to meet with Alliance membersThe Russellville City Council approved the 2015 General Fund and Special Funds budgets Thursday night, with the promise aldermen will call a special meeting with members of the Arkansas Valley Alliance for Economic Development (AVAED) to discuss the city’s contribution to the organization. Finance Committee chairman and Mayor-elect Randy Horton amended his motion to pass the Special Funds budget with the exception of items regarding Alliance f...

Gibson elected chairman of advisory committeeAfter more than a decade of serving as chairman of the Nuclear Planning and Response Advisory Committee, Johnson County Judge Mike Jacobs will pass the torch to Pope County Judge Jim Ed Gibson in 2015. "It's been either 14 or 16 years, I can't remember," Jacobs said with a laugh. The committee unanimously elected Gibson as the new chairman during its annual meeting earlier this week. Chris Meyer, Nuclear Planning and Response state manager, pr...

AT&T awards $20,000 to Freedom HouseAT&T has awarded Russellville’s Freedom House $20,000 to enhance technology during a presentation Thursday. The donation will be used to give individuals in recovery the vocational skills needed to promote self-sufficiency and obtain employment. Freedom House’s Fresh Start vocational rehabilitation program instructs participants in goal setting, career counseling, job training and resume development. Adult education classes are held in the Lea...

Realignment project likely to start in springBlackstone Construction, LLC of Russellville was the apparent low bidder on Wednesday for the realignment project for State Highway 124. The bid proposed 265 working days, which would amount to a two-year project, for a little more than $14.7 million. Danny Straessle, Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department (AHTD) spokesman said the department is in the process of verifying bids. "We hope to have it confirmed before Christmas," he...

Russellville City Council OKs stipend for employeesThe Russellville City Council approved an end-of-year stipend for all full-time employees totaling $178,273.75 and will consider a cost-of-living increase in May of next year. After a Finance Committee meeting that lasted nearly an hour and a half, aldermen asked Finance Director Jerry McKaughan about the possibilities of giving employees a 2.5 percent raise instead of a stipend. Mayor Bill Eaton said he and McKaughan agreed that if raises wer...